Dispute Over Untied Shoelace Led To Wal-Mart Gunfire

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A violent struggle inside a Maine Wal-Mart started with a comment over an untied shoelace and ended with gunfire, according to one of the men involved, but police say a death outside the store was unrelated.

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Investigators say 31-year-old Robert Potter pulled a gun on another customer during an argument Monday night at the Wal-Mart in Augusta. They say the gun went off as the other man tried to disarm him. No one was hit.

Police say a woman apparently witnessed the fight and ran to the parking lot, where she suffered a medical emergency and died.

The other man involved in the fight, Kevin Roberge, tells the Kennebec Journal the dispute started when he told Potter one of his boots was untied.